1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a motor vehicle roof with a wind deflector element which can be raised at its rear edge area and a covering arrangement which is located behind the wind deflector element for optional joint closing or at least partial clearance of a roof opening, the wind deflector element having a spoiler body for preventing unwanted air flow noise when the covering arrangement is open, and to a process by which it is produced.
2. Description of Related Art
Openable motor vehicle roofs, with a roof opening which can be closed by a cover, especially a glass cover, have been known for a long time. Ordinarily, these openable motor vehicle roofs are provided with a wind deflector for preventing wind noise. One example thereof can be found in published German Patent Application DE 1 480 470. These wind deflectors are used to protect the vehicle passengers against the air flow and against disturbing wind noise. However, it has been shown that while driving with the sliding roof opened, in spite of these wind deflectors, disturbing noise (often also called “hum”) and pressure differences arise in the vehicle interior which are caused by resonance effects and the resulting pulsation of the air column in the vehicle interior. The resulting noise and pressure differences in the passenger space are often regarded as a serious nuisance. To prevent this humming noise in the passenger compartment, various spoiler bodies (which are also called “diffusors”) have been developed; they are mounted in the area of the front edge of the roof opening or on the wind deflectors.
Thus, for example, published German Patent Application DE 38 42 676 A1 shows a spoiler body on a wind deflector which in the raised operating position of the wind deflector projects up over it and prevents the occurrence of disturbing hum. A similar spoiler body is shown in published German Patent Application DE 40 33 027 which, however in this case, is not mounted on a wind deflector, but is located in front of the forward edge of the roof opening.
The disadvantage in these known spoiler bodies is that they must be mounted in an additional working step (for example, cemented) on the wind deflector element or on the forward roof edge, for example. This process requires additional procedures, for example, for cleaning and cementing, and additional material costs for cleaners, cements and primers. Moreover, this separate spoiler body often appears visually as a foreign body on the wind deflector element.
An additional spoiler body to prevent humming noise is disclosed by published German Patent Application DE 195 10 822 A1, which describes a generic motor vehicle roof, the spoiler body being made there integrally with a raisable, glass or plastic front cover of a roof opening which can be closed by several successively arranged covers or being made as a component which is permanently connected to the front cover. The disadvantage in this integral execution of the spoiler body with the front cover is the relatively complex fabrication which is required therein.